


hearts are only open (when they break)

by moontaekoos



Series: Save Me A Spark [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Divorce, How Do I Tag, It Gets Worse Before It Gets Better, Jongho is their baby, Lots of Realization, M/M, Married Seongjoong, Seongjoong are dads, The author is self projecting, Toddler Jongho, are they really, but wait, give this a chance, i wrote this while in the throes of depression, jongho loves strawberries, mention of vehicular accident/road failure???, reminiscing... lots of it, slightly beta read idk, uncles yungi, yungi best babysitters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:27:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25851325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moontaekoos/pseuds/moontaekoos
Summary: “All this talk about memories got me thinking, Seonghwa. I don’t want you to become just a memory. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life living in regret, why didn’t I fight? Why did I let you believe that you’re no longer home to me, when the very word puts the image of you in my head?”there will be daysthat homewon't feel like itbut that doesn't mean we leaveit could be filled with a whole lot of painbut that just meanswe fix what's brokenand clean up the messto keep home from falling apart-gabriela dangan; "give and take"
Relationships: Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: Save Me A Spark [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1929877
Comments: 24
Kudos: 89





	hearts are only open (when they break)

**Author's Note:**

> I've intended to submit this for Seongjoong Week 2020, but things went sideways and I only got to finish her now. It's my longest work on here so far, I hope you enjoy! Please leave a comment so I'd know what you think <3
> 
> Title is from Sleeping With Sirens' Save Me A Spark
> 
> Check out the moodboard [here!](https://twitter.com/starsforhwa/status/1293425378325929984?s=20)

Hongjoong is starting to hate the sound of his alarm.

To be honest, he’s hated the idea of waking up for quite a bit, ever since he felt like he’s watching everything he worked so hard to build just crumbling in his own two hands.

The soft sound of high pitched chimes should be a cheerful sound to wake up to, but to him, it’s a blaring wail. 

_You should always use pretty sounds as your alarm tone, that way, you always wake up smiling. Seonghwa would always say._

But the same pretty sounds and happy memories feel like a slap in the face when you can literally watch them fading away.

Here he was, in a bed meant for two, alone. And the worst thing about it is that he’s getting used to it. He’s still married to him, but it’s been quite a while since he felt like he’s not.

But the sheets never stopped smelling like Seonghwa.  
The scent gives him pain and comfort at the same time. 

⋆⋆⋆

Seonghwa was already in the kitchen making coffee when Hongjoong managed to get out of bed.

“Hey. There’s coffee in the pot. Please help yourself.” His tone was clipped and polite, as if he’s talking to an acquaintance. 

Hongjoong wanted to reach out to him and ask, _where did the morning kisses go? The back hugs, the forehead kisses, the smiley on pancakes using strawberry syrup?_

The man is standing right there in front of him. 

With the same pearlescent skin and raven hair… But it’s the eyes that made the greatest difference.

The stars in his eyes have dimmed so much that he almost forgot how they looked like when they shone - but he can definitely remember how it felt like.

 _How it felt like to be the reason why the stars were so bright in the galaxy that was Seonghwa’s eyes._

“Hey Seonghwa, can we ta-”

An ear splitting wail interrupted Hongjoong’s train of thought. He doesn’t know whether to thank their son for choosing this exact moment to cry, or be annoyed for being robbed of yet another chance to talk things out with Seonghwa. Maybe both. He’s not sure of anything anymore.

Seonghwa almost sprinted all the way to their son’s room, immediately scooping him up in his arms.

“Gooooood morning to the best baby ever! Don’t cry, papa is here.” Seonghwa patted his son’s hair and lowered him to his lap. He’s getting so big these days that his arms are starting to give out when he tries to carry him. “Ahh, Jjongie, you’re so fluffy and heavy! My big and strong boy.”

Seonghwa blew raspberries on his son’s belly, which managed to draw giggles from the child.

“That’s more like it. I like it the best when you smile, baby.” He snuggled Jongho closer and kissed the top of his head.

Jongho reached out his stubby little arms, trying to reach Seonghwa’s hair. He always loved doing that for some reason, and it never failed to melt Seonghwa’s heart.

“Mmmm hungy. Mik…” Jongho mumbled, and Seonghwa audibly gasped in adoration.

“My baby is hungry? You want your milk?”

Jongho just nodded, and Seonghwa lowered him onto the floor.

“Okay baby, let’s walk to the kitchen, okay? Dada Joongie is right there waiting for you.”

The determination in Jongho’s eyes to make it all the way to the kitchen without stumbling is so adorable that every single negative thought pushed themselves out of Seonghwa’s mind right at that very moment. The kid might be adopted, but he definitely got Hongjoong’s spirit - he will stop at nothing to achieve something he set his tiny little heart to.

“M-morning dada.. Mmm walk, mmm hungy.” Jongho announced as they arrived at the kitchen.

Hongjoong broke into a smile so wide it made Seonghwa’s heart flutter. It reminded him of the days when he was still embarrassed to admit how much Hongjoong’s smile affected the state of his heart, the days from way before they started dating. Good times.

“Look at my big boy! You walked all the way here? By yourself?” Hongjoong was kneeling in front of Jongho now. Seonghwa always said that talking to your children as if they’re your equal helps in character building, and old habits die hard, so they say.  
Jongho responded with enthusiastic nods and flung his arms around Hongjoong’s neck, poised as if to whisper something.

“Mmmik, plees.” He said a little bashfully. Hongjoong laughed, a little confused between his son’s earlier outburst of confidence and the sudden shyness. 

“Jjongie wants milk? Do you want that in your bottle or the big boy cup?” The kid seemed to seriously consider his options, as if making a very intense decision.

“...cup,” He finally said.

“Do you want anything else, baby?”

“...pancakes. Wid stwobewees.” 

“Good choice! If you promise to behave, you can watch Dada cook, okay?” Hongjoong lifted his son and sat him in one of the highchairs near the counter. Jongho giggled again and clapped his little hands, obviously excited at the thought of being able to watch his father cook breakfast.

“Hey, Seonghwa? Do you want anything?” Hongjoong asked, jolting Seonghwa out of his thoughts. 

“Oh, uhh, I’ll have the strawberry pancakes too if that’s alright.”

Asking your husband about his breakfast pick shouldn’t feel this awkward, Hongjoong thought.

The awkward tension was once again broken by a sudden noise, this time the shrill ring of the living room phone. Seonghwa grabbed this chance to excuse himself, and to leave the two to their breakfast preparations.

“Okay baby, time to prepare breakfast.” Hongjoong ruffled his son’s hair and flicked his chin gently.

⋆⋆⋆

It’s been almost fifteen minutes since Seonghwa excused himself to answer the phone. Hongjoong is getting a little bit curious at this point, because who the hell calls people at 7am to have long winded discussions? Maybe he just got distracted with something else, Hongjoong thought as he finished up with the food preparations.

Jongho’s star shaped plate was laden with his favorite mini pancakes and sliced strawberries, mirroring those of his dads. The strawberry pancake is such a staple in their household, Hongjoong can prepare it blindfolded. _Hyperbole, of course._

“Here’s your milk, baby. Eat up!” Hongjoong smiled fondly at his son.

The kid stared back at him as if contemplating something. Most of the time, Jongho looked like he had a lot to say, but his limited vocabulary was hindering him from expressing whatever that was. He’s only two years old, after all.

“...buuu papa?” Jongho tilted his head a little bit.

“He’s just taking a call, baby. He’ll be back soon, you can start eating now.”

And that was all Jongho needed to dive straight into his mini pancakes with his bare hands, the little plastic spoon laid forgotten against his plate.

Just as Hongjoong promised Jongho, Seonghwa is now back from his phone call, but is noticeably distraught.

“Hey Hongjoong? Can I speak with you for a bit?” He gestured from Hongjoong to follow him, just to get out of their son’s hearing distance.

Seonghwa made sure to still keep an eye on Jongho just in case he needed something.

“Okay, so… How do I say this…” Hongjoong’s heart raced a little bit as he waited for whatever it is that got Seonghwa so concerned that they had to keep it hushed from their young son.

“Just say it, Hwa. You’re scaring me.”

“It was my lawyer.”

“Your what-”

“Our divorce hearing just got scheduled, we have to visit the courthouse today.”

It was impossible to find a name for the feeling that hit Hongjoong when he heard those words from Seonghwa. Up to this point, the decision to separate felt like a fever dream to him - even the thought of being away from Seonghwa felt so ludicrous that it should be a joke.

 _It had to be._

“Wow, okay… I actually don’t know what to say,” Hongjoong started breaking into nervous laughter, as if it was his system’s response to what was happening in front of him. He’s screaming at himself, he can’t claim to have not seen this coming. This is a mutual decision, he can’t back out of it now.

Seonghwa was just watching him intently, also stumped on what to do. He glanced at Jongho once again, who was still enjoying his breakfast, completely oblivious about what’s happening with his dads.

“What do we do, Seonghwa? We can’t possibly drag our two year old son into a courthouse! Oh god, just when he’s having a good day…” Hongjoong ran his hand across his hair, forcing his brain to come up with a way to make this situation work.

“We can drop him off at Yunho’s, I’m sure he’d be happy to watch over Jongho for a day.”

“Of course you want your cousin to take him, just to make sure he stays with your side of the family, huh? It’s too early to write me out of the equation, Seonghwa.” The venom in Hongjoong’s voice is shocking.

“Whoa, wait a minute… Where is this coming from? Who said I’m taking you out of the equation? Hongjoong, what?” Seonghwa felt the steady rise of agitation rising like bile in his throat, but he tried grounding himself. Jongho was still very well in their vicinity, after all.

“I am not taking him away from you, Hongjoong… Let’s just… We’re not having this conversation right now. Not in front of our son.”

“Yeah, great. You always dodge this conversation, look where that got us.” Hongjoong spat out the words like they were burning him. Seonghwa didn’t have a chance to respond, because Hongjoong quickly made his way back to the kitchen, where Jongho was still happily munching on his pancakes.

⋆⋆⋆

There are few things in this world that Yunho loves more than his young nephew Jongho, so one can only imagine the shriek of enthusiasm that he let out once Seonghwa called him that they’re on their way to drop him off at his place.

_“I can use a little warning next time, Seonghwa hyung, but it’s fine! I think I have some leftover strawberry yogurt pops in my fridge.”_

__

__

“Ahh, Yunho, you’re such a lifesaver! We can’t get ahold of our usual babysitter and we’re in a huge hurry… Thank you, thank you! We’re hopping on the car right now, we’ll be there in half an hour.” 

_“Alright, I’ll tell Mingi to get decent,_ ” Yunho chuckled into the phone.

_“Please keep it PG around my innocent child, Yunho I swear to god…”_

_“Yes yes, just focus on driving here, don’t get my nephew in an accident.”_

⋆⋆⋆

Jongho was happily indulging in his yogurt pop within five minutes of arriving at Yunho and Mingi’s house. It was strawberry flavored too, of course, as it was his favorite flavor for anything. Mingi was right there with him, sat on the floor in front of the tv, laughing loudly at whatever cartoon they decided to bond over today.

Yunho, however, stood with Seonghwa and Hongjoong in the hall, taking last minute reminders from Jongho’s tensed parents.

“...remember he loves strawberries, but peaches make his tummy hurt, so don’t give him that, okay?” Hongjoong was racking his brains for anything else he needed to say to make sure his son survives the day without him, but Yunho just waved him off with a giggle.

“Baby eats fruits, NO PEACHES... Keep baby alive for a day... Yes I got it, stop worrying hyung!” Yunho slung his arm around Hongjoong’s shoulder in an effort to get him to slow down.

“If I may ask, what’s with the sudden visit? Like yeah, you need us to look over the kid and I am more than happy to… But why so sudden?”

Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa as if silently imploring him to take this one.

“Okay, so… Don’t freak out okay…”

“You are freaking me out just by telling me not to freak out-”

“We’re getting divorced, and our hearing is today. We just got told by my lawyer that we have to be at the courthouse in two hours.”

They both expected Yunho to shriek, but he just _stood there_ , unblinking.  
A few more moments passed until he spoke again.

“You… are getting divorced? Why?”

_If answers were as straightforward as their questions, maybe they wouldn’t find themselves in this mess._

__

__

_But how do you address a question you’re so terrified to know the answers for?_

“I’m sorry for prying, you don’t have to answer that… But what happens to Jongho now?”

“We’re not sure yet, we’ll figure it out. We have to.” Seonghwa said with a sad smile. “We really have to go now, Yunho.”

“Okay. Good luck… I hope you get the outcome you’re hoping for.”

_The outcome we’re hoping for.  
Whatever that is._

⋆⋆⋆

The traffic was surprisingly heavy for a Wednesday afternoon, but they’d have to make do. It’s a good thing they allotted an entire extra hour for the drive to the courthouse.

“So… Can we have the conversation now?” Hongjoong said, looking out of the window and avoiding eye contact.

Seonghwa digs his palms on the steering wheel.  
“I am not taking Jongho away from you. I’m just... terrified, Hongjoong.”

“Of what?” 

_Terrified? Of the person you vowed to grow old with? Of the person you built a home for?_

Seonghwa’s face falls, mirroring the sinking feeling in his chest. This is why he always dodged the question for so long - he was too scared of facing the truth.

“The longer we stay like this, I just lose myself even more.”

“Stay like what, Seonghwa? Because one day I just woke up and everything felt like a never ending argument.”

“You stopped coming home, Hongjoong.” It’s Seonghwa’s turn to look away, staring stoically into the traffic jam ahead of them.

“What the hell are you even saying, Seonghwa?”

“You left every morning and went back every night, but you stopped coming home. I stopped being your home, Hongjoong. I stopped being your safe place. And slowly, it took piece by piece of myself until I can’t feel _anything.”_

More often than not, the truth hurts more than an illusion. Maybe that’s why people come up with them; to soften the blow of the truth.

⋆⋆⋆

It’s been a quarter of an hour since they left Yunho’s place, but they aren’t even halfway to the courthouse. This traffic jam is proving to be more than just your daily rush hour thing, because police officers have started knocking on people’s windows, trying to orient them on the situation.

Seonghwa rolled his window down even before the officer knocked, clearly failing to mask the anxious look on his face.

“Sir, I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to ask you if this trip is urgent or essential.” The officer starts, looking very stressed, “there has been a partial collapse of the bridge connecting this road to the main highway, and we’re trying to thin down the traffic so as not to compromise everyone's safety, including the response team.”

Hongjoong looked at Seonghwa in alarm, obviously their trip to the courthouse is urgent, but is it essential?

“We’re rerouting this road to allow vehicles to go back the way they came, but that’s gonna take a while as well, considering the severity of the situation.” The officer offered a tight lipped smile, before excusing himself to go inform the car behind them.

They still had around an hour to go before their hearing, but given the officer’s warning, it’s getting less likely that they’d make it on time.

Seonghwa pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to steel himself for the amount of stress he’s about to face. How he wished they were back at home, sharing strawberry pancakes with their son, with no divorce hearings to mind and an almost broken marriage to deal with.

He was entertaining the idea of calling his lawyer to ask for advice, when his phone rang, disturbing his thoughts.

“Hello, Yunho? Is everything okay? What happened to Jongho?” Seonghwa all but screamed into the phone, somehow always expecting the worst.

Yunho, however, just laughed at his cousin’s needless worries. “Oh would you stop expecting the worst. We just called because Jjongie read today’s newspaper right in front of our eyes,” Mingi’s scream-laughter can be heard in the background, even Hongjoong can hear the feedback from Seonghwa’s phone that was pressed to the latter’s ear.

“Jongho is _two years old_ , Yunnie, how can he possibly read the newspaper?”

“Well, _fine_ , he didn’t actually read the newspaper… Like, he _mimed_ reading to his stuffie. It was so cute, I wish you guys would’ve seen it.”

Seonghwa smiled at the image he had in his head - Jongho absolutely adored all of his stuffies, especially the one he brought over to Yunho’s. The child would name them all as creatively as he could, given his limited two year old lexicon.

Jongho’s high pitched scream pierced through the call, and before Seonghwa chewed him out for it, Yunho reassured his cousin that the toddler just shrieked out of excitement because his Uncle Mingi started tickling him.

“Okay, fine, I don’t wanna be the party pooper here, but his nap time is in a few minutes so refrain from feeding him too much sugar! He’ll bounce off the walls with energy, you guys won’t hear the end of it.” Seonghwa stole a glance at Hongjoong, who was still tuning in to the conversation, mirroring the sad smile he had.

Yunho reassured them that everything’s gonna be fine with the kid, and disconnected the call. 

“Pointing at things in reading materials, our son will make the CDC proud.” Hongjoong quipped, earning a confused frown from Seonghwa.

“The CDC?”

“Well, yeah… Believe it or not, the CDC has a comprehensive standard on what milestones a two year old child should be hitting, a _treasure map_ if you will, of the child’s firsts.” Hongjoong said with a flourish, with a hint of pride in his voice that their son seems to be on the right track.

Seonghwa felt fondness bubbling slowly in his chest - he finds these little pockets of trivia and wisecracks very endearing. They might be the reason why Hongjoong caught his attention when they first met, anyway. 

“You’re always full of those trivia things in your head,” Hongjoong watched as Seonghwa shook his head slightly.

The moment is light, if you think of it, but heavy, at the same time, considering the circumstance they’re in.

“It’s just sad,” Hongjoong starts speaking again, “How we won’t get to see his milestones together, once this divorce is settled. It’s gonna be either one of us, or none of us, who gets to see his first _anythings_ from now on.”

There’s an almost tangible sadness in the way Hongjoong spoke, and it tugged at Seonghwa’s heartstrings so hard, it makes him want to get up and fight the source of that sadness.

And with a harsh abruptness, he realizes that the source is _him._

He doesn’t exactly know what he wants, or where he wants to go from here, but there’s one thing he knew for sure: he’s at a loss on how to repair a heart he never thought he’d break.

So there he was, stuck in a horrible traffic jam, with the one he vowed to love, but is now at the brink of letting go.

And in that moment, his heart weirdly reminded him of their best memories - their _milestones_ , so to say - and once again, his face contorts into a sad smile.

“It’s funny how we got to be each other’s firsts on a lot of things, but we won’t be around for our son’s _firsts.”_ Seonghwa quipped, his mind straying throughout the years they’ve spent together.

“Remember when we first met?” Hongjoong snapped to look at him, slightly caught by surprise and by the nostalgia in the question. He decides that the question is mildly rhetorical, so he just smiled, indulging Seonghwa in his budding attempt at revisiting the past.

“I was afraid you thought I was weird, because I can’t stop stuttering in front of you. I felt like a _total loser_ , tripping over my own words… Just because I can’t believe _the student council president is talking to me._ Me, the invisible kid with bangs longer than the span of his self esteem.”

Seonghwa inwardly flinched at how he phrased his own statement, because it reminded him of how Hongjoong immensely affected the way he carried himself. Hongjoong helped him realize that he’s so much more than the sum of his fears and insecurities.

Hongjoong is such an integral part of how he bloomed into the best version of himself, and though he hardly gave himself any credit, Seonghwa brought out the best in Hongjoong too. Ever since they got together, people have been complimenting them on how they had the makings of a relationship that would last a lifetime. And they agreed, because they also believed that their futures will always have each other in it - because what is a universe without its sun and stars?

Hongjoong’s phone screen lit up with a notification, and Seonghwa managed to catch a glimpse of his lockscreen - it’s a photo of them on the day they adopted Jongho. Their eyes met in that brief moment, which sets off Hongjoong’s turn to go down memory lane.

“While on the subject of firsts, remember the day we first brought Jjongie home?” 

“It’s one of the days I can never forget. He looked so hesitant at first, but he grabbed a fistful of your red hair and giggled so loud, I just knew that he would be the perfect son for us.” Seonghwa sighed, revelling in the warmth of the memory. “It’s one of the best memories I hold very dear in my heart.”

“Oh? What are the other best memories?” Hongjoong asked, his eyes searching for the answer.

“Just one other memory can compete with that… It’s the memory of when I married you.”

Hongjoong wanted to scream his assent, to agree with Seonghwa, that yes, marrying him was almost the summit of his life, but he stopped himself. He can’t allow his nostalgia to get in the way of what Seonghwa clearly wants. Seonghwa wants a way out, and who was he to deny it from him?

⋆⋆⋆

_25 minutes until the hearing._

They were still stuck in the traffic jam from hell, unmoving from their spot for more than an hour. Most of the cars around them have turned back now, not willing to compromise their safety or wait around for the bridge to get fixed. 

But Hongjoong and Seonghwa are still stuck - both literally and figuratively.

There’s a clear decision that needs to be made, and it’s answerable by a simple yes or no, but there they were, still stuck, still afraid to figure out what they actually want.

All this reminiscing did was to remind them of how bright they used to be, of how perfect the world seemed for the two of them. Everything just clicked into place, it’s like the universe itself was rooting for them.

It makes them wonder, _what went wrong?_

Obviously, none of them fell out of love, because if they did, the prospect of not growing old by each other’s side wouldn’t hurt this much.

If Seonghwa fell out of love with Hongjoong, the decision to separate would be much, much easier, but it’s not.

Seonghwa said that the more they stay like this, the more he loses himself…

But what he failed to mention is that Hongjoong is the biggest piece of himself that he couldn’t bear to lose.

Maybe there’s a twisted part of him that craved for Hongjoong to fight for him more, for him to dig his hands into his flesh and tell him that no, he didn’t stop coming home. 

He just wanted Hongjoong to make him feel like the home they built and fought for is still intact, and all Hongjoong had to do is tell him that there’s still some fight left in them, and Seonghwa would gladly face all his fears and insecurities just to save what’s left of them.

His thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of his phone, and just as he suspected, it’s his lawyer. He took the call immediately, listening to what his lawyer had to say as Hongjoong watched him closely.

Seonghwa listened for a good couple of minutes, nodding sometimes, and explaining their situation. Everything felt doubly tense right now, as their literal futures depend on this phone call. Eventually, Seonghwa ended the call, his jaw clenched as if on the brink of something crucial.

“The judge is willing to reschedule our hearing, as long as we can provide a damn good reason why we can’t make it today.” Seonghwa explained, barely able to meet Hongjoong’s gaze.

“Tell him not to bother.” Hongjoong looked at him defiantly, as if wanting to shatter the very idea of the divorce hearing.

Seonghwa felt like he’s gonna jump out of his own skin - _is this finally it?_ \- after all the uncertainties and beating around the bush, is Hongjoong finally putting up a fight for what they have?

“All this talk about memories got me thinking, Seonghwa. I don’t want you to become just a memory. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life living in regret, why didn’t I fight? Why did I let you believe that you’re no longer home to me, when the very word puts the image of you in my head?” There’s a determination in Hongjoong’s words that rendered Seonghwa speechless - he wouldn’t dare interrupt him now.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m sorry it took me so long, but I’m here now. I’m willing to fight. I’m willing to try. For you, for Jjong… For us. And I wish to god you haven’t given up already.” A single tear trickled down Hongjoong’s cheek, but there isn’t a trace of weakness on his face - he was just on the frontier of the bravest thing he’s ever done, and his expression tells exactly that.

Something inside Seonghwa got reignited with Hongjoong’s words. And maybe he got a little bit carried away, grabbing Hongjoong by the collar and smashing their mouths together - but none of them seemed to care, because as much as things seemed to feel broken, they’re sure that the answer to fixing them can be found through and with each other.

Hongjoong felt like he was going to shatter into thousands of pieces, and at the same time, he felt like he could take on _anything_. His head is spinning, it’s like Seonghwa is trying to light a fire in him, conveying a million words through this one searing kiss. 

Maybe their home is standing on its wobbly, feeble legs, but Hongjoong is sure this fire can keep them safe until they can fix everything that needed saving.

⋆⋆⋆

It’s been _hours_ since his parents left, and little Jongho is starting to feel antsy. While his uncles prove to be excellent playmates, the toddler is starting to crave for his dads’ presence. He’s getting sulky, refusing to participate in any more games initiated by Yunho or Mingi.

Soon, it was dinner time, and Yunho offered his nephew an assortment of fruit slices that he was sure he’d like, but the kid just pushed the plate away, pouting.

“Come on Jjongie… You have to eat!” Yunho pouted back at Jongho.

“No! Miss dada…” Jongho bit back his tears and turned his back away from his uncle.

Yunho can’t help but grimace and feel bad for the child. If this is how he feels after less than a day apart from his dads, then how is he going to deal with their separation? He felt tears threaten to form in his eyes as he kissed his nephew on the head.

The sound of Seonghwa’s car pulling into his driveway pulled Yunho from his thoughts, and he is once again doused in that little bubble of anxiety, wondering if his cousin really ended his marriage today.

Mingi opened the door even before they knocked, and they were greeted by Seonghwa holding on to Hongjoong’s hand so tight, with smiles plastered on their faces.

“You guys look awfully happy for people who just uhh…” Yunho trails off, still quite unsure how to address the situation.

Seonghwa pushed past his cousin, leading his husband into the threshold.  
“Well, to sum it off, a bridge collapsed, we got stuck in a horrible traffic jam, our hearing got cancelled, and now we’re staying together.” He said in one long breath, much to Yunho and Mingi’s surprise.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa didn’t stick around for their reactions though, marching straight to the living room where Jongho was still pouting on his high chair and his plate of ignored fruit slices.

“Jjongie, baby! How was your day?” Hongjoong kissed his son’s cheek, and was greeted with a hearty round of giggles, immediately followed by a barrage of baby talk narration on how they spent the entire day watching cartoons, playing games, and whatever tickled their fancy.

Upon seeing his parents, Jongho magically regained his appetite for dinner. Yunho had some food delivered, and decided it was a great opportunity for a chicken and beer party, since they have something to celebrate tonight. They ended up staying the night, with the day ending tremendously far from how they expected it to. 

Things might not magically fall back into place today, but it’s a damn good start. Who knew that all it took for Seonghwa and Hongjoong to fight for what they have is to almost lose it all?

**Author's Note:**

> you're welcome to chat with me on [ twitter](https://twitter.com/starsforhwa) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.qa/starsforhwa) :)


End file.
